Machine-readable data has becoming more common in every facet of life though usage of visual machine-readable symbologies, such bar codes and the like, non-visual machine-readable radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and other forms of short range communication techniques. Such forms of machine-readable data have commonly been used as a means of providing pricing for consumer goods, inventory control for commercial and non-commercial goods, security identification for individuals and the like. Typically, in the past, the use of such machine-readable data has been somewhat limited by many factors, including but not limited to, cost of producing the machine-readable data, for example an RFID tag, the limited amount of data that can be associated with a code/tag and other factors.
However, recent innovations have made it possible to produce both visual and non-visual symbologies through cost-effective printing means. For example, use of ultraviolet (UV), magnetic and conductive inks have recently been implemented resulting in a cost-effective means for producing non-visible machine-readable data. In addition, the amount of data that can be associated with a tag/code is no longer limited by the memory capacity of the code or tag. For example, linking applications have been developed which provide for the machine-readable data to include a network link, such as an Internet link to additional information that is connected to the code or tag information.
In addition to improvements in the machine-readable data tags, more and more devices are being introduced into the marketplace that have the capability to read machine-readable data. This is especially evident in the area of mobile terminals, such as mobile telephones, personal data assistants (PDAs) and the like. By providing for such readers in mobile terminals it enhances their overall functionality and allows for read data to be automatically inputted into other applications executed on the device (i.e., capturing contact information and automatically transferring it to a telephone book application). Many mobile terminals are already equipped with digital cameras that provide the ability to capture images and, in some instances, are additionally equipped with applications that provide machine-readable reading functionality. With the use of mobile terminals becoming prominent in society, the machine-readable data reader functionality will allow all such device users to readily acquire and store all sorts of information from machine-readable data (i.e., codes, tags and the like).
Recent technological advancements have made it possible for embedding information in printed media, such as books, periodicals and other forms of printed media. For a teaching that provides for combining printed media with machine-readable data, see the published article entitled, “In Bridging the Paper and Electronic Worlds: The Paper User Interface”, Johnson et al., 1993, which describes methods for embedding diagonal marks, “glyphs” or the like into documents. The embedded information may typically include linking data that allows the capturing device or a device associated with the capturing device to connect to Internet data or services. For example, machine-readable data embedded in an advertisement or promotion may provide linking information to the product's Internet web-site. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,829, entitled “Automatic access of electronic information through secure machine-readable codes on printed documents”, issued Aug. 3, 1999, in the name of inventors Durst et al., which provides methods for printing articles and advertisements with barcodes having an Internet file reference printed in the barcode. In addition, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,457, entitled “Method for managing printed medium activated revenue sharing domain name system schemas”, issued Nov. 6, 2001, in the name of inventors Schena et al., which describe the core technology surrounding SmartCodes™ (a trademark of AirClic Incorporated of Newton, Pa., USA) that code intrinsic codes or data into machine-readable (e.g., barcodes) form or human readable (e.g., numbers) form. Using the number or the bar code, more information can be retrieved or some added functionality can be initiated.
The embedded information may take the form of visibly identifiable data, such as visual symbologies like bar codes and the like and invisible data, such as glyphs, watermarks, UV/magnetic/conductive inks and the like. Invisible or hidden embedded data in printed media has been successfully deployed for copyright protection and authenticity purposes. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,426, entitled “Graphics Processing System Employing Embedded Code Signals”, issued on Jun. 16, 1998 in the name of inventor Rhoads, which teaches a steganographic method for encoding a data signal into a two-dimensional image and the corresponding decode process.
When visible machine-readable data, such as barcodes and the like, is implemented in printed media, the data itself is easily identifiable to the reader and, as such, the reader knows exactly where to scan (i.e., direct their reading device) to capture the data. However, if the machine-readable data is invisible, the reader, typically a consumer, has no way of knowing that such embedded data exists without being provided some visual indication that machine-readable data is invisibly embedded in the media. Typically, a visual symbol may be used to indicate that the page, article, advertisement or the like included machine-readable data. However, the use of a visual symbol obviates the benefit realized by using invisible machine-readable data, i.e., the visual symbol uses up valuable page or advertisement space in the printed media. In addition, the inclusion of a visual symbol, in the form of a logo or the like, may present problems in terms of gratuitous promotion of the invisible machine-readable data, i.e., the brand of invisible code/tag that is being implemented.
Thus a need exists to develop systems, devices and corresponding methods that notify the readers of printed media that non-visual embedded machine-readable data exists within the printed data and provides an indication as to where, within the printed media, the machine-readable data is located. In addition, if the machine-readable data is parsed into more than one capture-able segment, the desired system, device and method should provide for a systematic means for capturing such data in necessary sequential order, so that the data is useful to the user of the capturing device. The desired system, device and methods should be cost-efficient to implement and, as such, utilize existing methods for invisibly embedding data in print media.